A piece of debris that fell off an Amtrak train in an East River tunnel snarled commutes for thousands of Long Island Rail Road riders heading to Penn Station on Tuesday morning, according to officials at both transit agencies.

An LIRR train struck the debris at 7:43 a.m., forcing the MTA to redirect service from Penn Station to Grand Central Madison. MTA officials said the issue was fixed by 10 a.m. In total, 50 LIRR trains were either canceled or delayed, according to the transit agency.

MTA officials said the delay was made worse because one of Amtrak’s four East River rail tunnels has been closed since the spring while crews repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. LIRR and NJ Transit trains also use the tunnels.

The MTA has repeatedly urged Amtrak in recent years to not

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